Folks, we’ve got Tony Khan, the man with a deck of wrestling ideas, shuffling around the concept of a Women’s Casino Gauntlet match in AEW. That’s right, Tony’s cooking up another match with more rules than your local HOA, and this time, he’s tossing it over to the women’s division. Because, you know, why should the men have all the fun in whatever this gauntlet thing is?
For those of you wondering, “What on earth is a Casino Gauntlet?”—well, imagine regular gauntlet matches had a baby with Vegas, and then sprinkled in some time intervals, and voila! A “Casino Gauntlet.” So far, AEW has dealt out three of these wild card events, with Will Ospreay snatching the first two victories like a blackjack pro, and Christian Cage taking the most recent pot at AEW’s All In. But now? Now, Tony’s teasing the idea of adding a ladies’ version. Is it happening at All Out? Maybe. Maybe not. Or, as Tony says: “It would be great to advertise and build up in the future.” Classic non-answer from wrestling’s smoothest talker!
Tony, of course, takes pride in reminding everyone how the Casino Gauntlet is his brainchild, saying, “The Casino Gauntlet match is something that I invented this year, and it has really taken off.” Really? Taken off, Tony? Or did you just keep pushing it until we accepted the rules out of sheer exhaustion? Either way, we’re here for it.
What we do know is this: the guy loves his hometowns. Khan listed off the cities where these gauntlets have been held—Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Wembley—like a guy bragging about his frequent flyer miles. And don’t worry, Chicago, you’re next! He’s got you on the radar for one of these in the future, maybe after he’s counted his winnings and sorted out the legal rules.
But until then, All Out still features women, just not in a gauntlet match. AEW’s TBS Champion Mercedes Mone will go toe-to-toe with Hikaru Shida, while Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale will throw down in a Chicago Street Fight. It’s like Vegas meets WrestleMania—except no one’s gambling on when this women’s gauntlet is actually happening!